The sportsmen decided on crossing the river as soon as it was fordable; and Zoonah, rejoicing in contributions of tobacco, cigars, and provisions, was happy, after Kafir fashion, lying on the soft turf, and contemplating, with a longing eye, the cattle he professed to guard, but hoped to steal from the men who had saved his life, and now fed him, and treated him with kindness. Although May heartily despised Zoonah, he was always in good humour with him; for there is nothing in nature more cheery and good-humoured, though hot-tempered and keenly alive to injury, than a bushman, caught young, and tamed and educated by real Christian people. Three or four evenings after the incident described, as Frankfort and Ormsby sat by the river, after the last meal of the day, anxiously comparing the depth of water with a certain mark they had drawn on a jutting rock, their attention was diverted by an earnest "talk" going on between May and Zoonah. The latter was deriding May's idea of _Umtiko_ (God). Zoonah, finding disguise was useless, now conversed in excellent English. May's suppositions were right. He had been educated at Shiloh; but the care bestowed on a Kafir seldom answers the humane purpose intended. Savage he is, and savage he will he, unless, indeed, the age of miracles is not past and gone. "You say that Umtiko is good," said Zoonah; "how do you _know_ it?" May pointed out the benefits we derive from God. "How do you know they come from him? Did you ever see him?" "He is invisible." "If he is so good and so glorious, why does he not show himself? The teachers are always telling us about God; but first, a Kafir never believes what he does not see, and next, the teachers say that all men are liars; how, then, can they expect _us_ to believe _them_?" "But the teachers do not tell you this without proof." "Where _is_ the proof?" "In the beautiful world, where all things are given for our good, and where the wicked are unhappy." "Who do you call wicked?" "Those who commit sin," replied May. "Sin!" said Zoonah, after examining the ground,--"sin means pleasing one's self." Before May could answer, Zoonah went on: "You cannot believe in the existence of what you cannot see." "You do not see the wind," interposed May. Zoonah went on in his own language, May translating sentence by sentence. "You cannot take the word of one man, whom you have never seen _nor heard_," answered the cunning Kafir, "against the wishes of all men. The invisible God you talk of says, `Obey me, and do nothing that pleases yourself.' The visible man says, `Enjoy earth, and all that belongs to it, and be happy.' On one side is a _chance_ of another world if we punish ourselves in this; on the other is pleasure, ease, and our own will, under laws made for man by man. You English have a woman chief; even she never sees the God you speak of. You know not even whether he is black or white."